^aNow when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him and led Him away, and ^ahanded Him over to ^bPilate the governor.

3 Then when ^aJudas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^bthe thirty ¹pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^aYou shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into ^athe temple sanctuary and left; and ^bhe went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” 7 And they conferred together and ¹with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 ^aFor this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “^aAND ¹THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10 ^aAND ¹THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, JUST AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”

11 ^aNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the ^bKing of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^cIt is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^aHe did not offer any answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 And still ^aHe did not answer him in regard to even a single ¹charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.

15 ^aNow at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the ¹people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was because of envy that ¹they had handed Him over.

19 And ^awhile he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that ^brighteous Man; for ¹last night I suffered greatly ^cin a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^aask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. 21 And the governor ¹said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” They all *said, “¹Crucify Him!” 23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “¹Crucify Him!”

24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^aa riot was starting, he took water and ^bwashed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^cthis Man’s blood; ^dyou yourselves shall see.” 25 And all the people replied, “^aHis blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas ¹for them; but after having Jesus ^aflogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

27 ^aThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^bthe ¹Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman ^2ccohort to Him. 28 And they stripped Him and ^aput a red ¹cloak on Him. 29 ^aAnd after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a ¹reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^bHail, King of the Jews!” 30 And ^athey spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. 31 ^aAnd after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32 ^aAs they were coming out, they found a man of ^bCyrene named Simon, ¹whom they compelled to carry His ²cross.

33 ^aAnd when they came to a place called ^bGolgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 ^athey gave Him ^bwine mixed with ¹bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.

35 And when they had crucified Him, ^athey divided His garments among themselves by casting ¹lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to ^akeep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him ¹which read, “^aTHIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 At that time two ¹rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were ¹speaking abusively to Him, ^ashaking their heads, 40 and saying, “^aYou who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^bIf You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “^aHe saved others; ¹He cannot save Himself! ^bHe is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 ^aHE HAS TRUSTED IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE ¹TAKES PLEASURE IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ^aAnd the ¹rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way.

45 ^aNow from the ¹sixth hour darkness ²fell upon all the land until the ³ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^aELI, ELI, LEMA SABAKTANEI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 And ^aimmediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “¹Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him².” 50 And Jesus ^acried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. 51 ^aAnd behold, ^bthe ¹veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^cthe earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ¹saints who had ^afallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ^athe holy city and appeared to many. 54 ^aNow as for the centurion and those who were with him ^bkeeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^cthe earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was ^1dthe Son of God!”

55 ^aAnd many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^bcaring for Him. 56 Among them were ^aMary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^bthe mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 ^aNow when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled ^aa large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And ^aMary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after ^athe preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘^aAfter three days I am rising.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a ^aguard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the tomb secure with ^athe guard, ^bsealing ^cthe stone.

^aWhen it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) conferred together against Jesus, plotting how to put Him to death since under Roman rule they had no power to execute anyone; 2 so they bound Him, and led Him away and ^ahanded Him over to ^bPilate the governor of Judea, who had the authority to condemn prisoners to death.

3 When ^aJudas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was gripped with remorse and returned ^bthe thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, Ex 21:32 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to us? ^aSee to that yourself!” 5 And throwing the pieces of silver into ^athe temple sanctuary, he left; and ^bwent away and ¹hanged himself. 6 The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put these in the treasury of the temple, because it is the price of blood.” 7 So after consultation they used the money to buy the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 ^aTherefore that piece of ground has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “^aAND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF HIM ON WHOM A PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; Jer 18:1, 2; 19:1-15; 32:6-9 10 ^aAND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.” Zech 11:13

11 ^aNow Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and the governor asked Him, “Are you the ^bKing of the Jews?” In affirmation Jesus said to him, “^cIt is as you say.” Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:2, 3; John 18:29-37 12 But when the charges were brought against Him by the chief priests and elders, ^aHe did not answer. Is 53:7 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 But ^aJesus did not reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor was greatly astonished.

15 ^aNow at the feast of the Passover the governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner whom the people chose. Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:18-25; John 18:39-19:16 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner guilty of insurrection and murder, called Barabbas. 17 So when they had assembled for this purpose, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” 18 For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.

19 ^aWhile he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that ^brighteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly ^cin a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^aask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 The governor said to them, “Which of the two do you wish me to set free for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” They all replied, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they continued shouting all the louder, “Let Him be crucified!” Mark 15:14; Luke 23:4, 14, 22; John 18:39; 19:4, 6

24 So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that ^aa riot was breaking out, he took water and ^bwashed his hands to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^cthis righteous Man’s blood; ^dsee to that yourselves.” Deut 21:6-9; Ps 26:6 25 And all the people answered, “Let the responsibility for ^aHis blood be on us and on our children!” Josh 2:19 26 So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus ^aseverely whipped (scourged) , he handed Him over to be crucified.

27 ^aThen the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into ^1bthe Praetorium, and they gathered the whole Roman ^ccohort around Him. Mark 15:16-20; John 19:1-3 28 They stripped him and ^aput a scarlet ¹robe on Him as a king’s robe. 29 ^aAnd after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand as a scepter. Kneeling before Him, they ridiculed Him, saying, “^bHail (rejoice) , King of the Jews!” 30 ^aThey spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head. 31 ^aAfter they finished ridiculing Him, they stripped Him of the scarlet robe and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32 ^aNow as they were coming out, they found a man of ^1bCyrene named ²Simon, whom they forced into service ³to carry the cross of Jesus. Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26

33 ^aAnd when they came to a place called ^bGolgotha, which means ¹Place of a Skull, Mark 15:22-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:17-24 34 ^athey offered Him ^bwine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

35 And when they had crucified Him, ^athey divided His clothes among them by casting ¹lots. Ps 22:18 36 Then sitting down there, they began to ^akeep watch over Him to guard against any rescue attempt. 37 And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “^1aTHIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. 39 Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, ^awagging their heads in scorn and ridicule, Ps 22:7, 8; 109:25 40 and they said tauntingly, “^aYou who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself from death! ^bIf You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42 “^aHe saved others from death; He cannot save Himself. ^bHe is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. 43 ^aHE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Ps 22:8 44 ^aThe robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.

45 ^aNow from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) . Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud agonized voice,¹ “^aELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” Ps 22:1 47 When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for ¹Elijah.” 48 ^aImmediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. Ps 69:21; Mark 15:36f; Luke 23:36; John 19:29, 30 49 But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him from death.” 50 And Jesus ^acried out again with a loud agonized voice, and gave up His spirit voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan. John 10:18 51 ^aAnd at once ^bthe veil of the Holy of Holies of the temple was ¹torn in two from top to bottom; ^cthe earth shook and the rocks were split apart. Ex 26:31-35 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had ^afallen asleep in death were raised to life; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ^athe holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people. 54 ^aNow the centurion, and those who were with him ^bkeeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^cthe earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was ^dthe Son of God!”

55 There were also ^amany women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ^bministering to Him. 56 Among them was ^1aMary Magdalene, and ²Mary the mother of ³James and Joseph, and Salome ^bthe ⁴mother of Zebedee’s sons James and John.

57 ^aWhen it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus so that he might bury Him, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping) , 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled ^aa large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And ^aMary Magdalene was there, and the other ¹Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 The next day, that is, the day after ^athe day of preparation for the Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we have remembered that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘^aAfter three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 Therefore, give orders to have the tomb made secure and safeguarded until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception the reporting of His resurrection will be worse than the first the reporting that He is the Messiah.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a ^aguard of soldiers; go with them, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and ¹made the tomb secure, and along with stationing a ^aguard of soldiers to be on watch they set a ^bseal on the ^cstone.

^aNow when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and ^adelivered Him to ^bPilate the governor.

3 Then when ^aJudas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^bthe ¹thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^aSee to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into ^athe ¹sanctuary and departed; and ^bhe went away and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7 And taking counsel together, they bought ¹with the money the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 ^aFor this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “^aAND ¹THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10 ^aAND ¹THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE ²LORD DIRECTED ME.”

11 ^aNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the ^bKing of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^cYou yourself say it.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^aHe did not answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And ^aHe did not answer him with regard to even a single ¹charge, so the governor marveled greatly.

15 ^aNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? ¹Barabbas, or Jesus ^awho is called ²Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him over.

19 ^aNow while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that ^brighteous Man; for ¹last night I suffered greatly ^cin a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^aask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then, what shall I do with Jesus ^awho is called ¹Christ?” They all *said, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil did He do?” But they were crying out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^aa riot was starting, he took water and ^bwashed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^cthis man’s blood; ^dsee to that yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered and said, “^aHis blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas ¹for them; but after having Jesus ^ascourged, he delivered Him over to be crucified.

27 ^aThen when the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^bthe ¹Praetorium, they gathered the whole Roman ^2ccohort around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and ^aput a scarlet robe on Him. 29 ^aAnd after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a ¹reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^bHail, King of the Jews!” 30 ^aAnd they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 ^aWhen they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32 ^aAnd as they were coming out, they found a man of ^bCyrene named Simon, ¹whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

33 ^aAnd when they came to a place called ^bGolgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 ^athey gave Him ^bwine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink.

35 And when they had crucified Him, ^athey divided up His garments among themselves by casting ¹lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to ^akeep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him ¹which read, “^aTHIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were blaspheming Him, ^ashaking their heads 40 and saying, “^aYou who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^bIf You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “^aHe saved others; ¹He cannot save Himself. ^bHe is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 ^aHE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE ¹DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ^aAnd the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

45 ^aNow from the ¹sixth hour darkness ²fell upon all the land until the ³ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^aELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 ^aAnd immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them were saying, “¹Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him².” 50 And Jesus ^acried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 ^aAnd behold, ^bthe ¹veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^cthe earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ¹saints who had ^afallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered ^athe holy city and appeared to many. 54 ^aNow the centurion, and those who were with him ^bkeeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^cthe earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was ^dGod’s Son!”

55 ^aAnd many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^1bministering to Him. 56 Among them was ^aMary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^bthe mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 ^aNow when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled ^aa large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And ^aMary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

62 Now on the next day, ¹the day after ^athe ²Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘^aAfter three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, order for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a ^aguard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with ^athe guard they set a ^bseal on ^cthe stone.

^aNow when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and ^adelivered Him to ^bPilate the governor.

3 Then when ^aJudas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^bthe thirty ¹pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^aSee to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into ^athe temple sanctuary and departed; and ^bhe went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7 And they conferred together and ¹with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 ^aFor this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “^aAND ¹THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10 ^aAND ¹THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”

11 ^aNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the ^bKing of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^cIt is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^aHe did not answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And ^aHe did not answer him with regard to even a single ¹charge, so the governor was quite amazed.

15 ^aNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the ¹people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over.

19 ^aWhile he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that ^brighteous Man; for ¹last night I suffered greatly ^cin a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^aask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the governor ¹said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^awho is called Christ?” They all *said, “¹Crucify Him!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “¹Crucify Him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^aa riot was starting, he took water and ^bwashed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^cthis Man’s blood; ^dsee to that yourselves.” 25 And all the people said, “^aHis blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas ¹for them; but after having Jesus ^ascourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

27 ^aThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^bthe ¹Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman ^2ccohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and ^aput a scarlet robe on Him. 29 ^aAnd after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a ¹reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^bHail, King of the Jews!” 30 ^aThey spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 ^aAfter they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32 ^aAs they were coming out, they found a man of ^bCyrene named Simon, ¹whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

33 ^aAnd when they came to a place called ^bGolgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 ^athey gave Him ^bwine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

35 And when they had crucified Him, ^athey divided up His garments among themselves by casting ¹lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to ^akeep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him ¹which read, “^aTHIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were ¹hurling abuse at Him, ^awagging their heads 40 and saying, “^aYou who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^bIf You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “^aHe saved others; ¹He cannot save Himself. ^bHe is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 ^aHE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE ¹DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ^aThe robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

45 ^aNow from the ¹sixth hour darkness ²fell upon all the land until the ³ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^aELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 ^aImmediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “¹Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him².” 50 And Jesus ^acried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 ^aAnd behold, ^bthe ¹veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^cthe earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ¹saints who had ^afallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered ^athe holy city and appeared to many. 54 ^aNow the centurion, and those who were with him ^bkeeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^cthe earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was ^1dthe Son of God!”

55 ^aMany women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^1bministering to Him. 56 Among them was ^aMary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^bthe mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 ^aWhen it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled ^aa large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And ^aMary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

62 Now on the next day, ¹the day after ^athe preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘^aAfter three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a ^aguard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with ^athe guard they set a ^bseal on ^cthe stone.